


When The Cat's Away

by Lapin_Calins



Category: NCT (Band)
Genre: Brotherly Love, Domestic, Fluff, Gen, Pillow Fights
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-05-13
Updated: 2017-05-13
Packaged: 2018-10-31 03:57:59
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 3,546
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/10891227
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Lapin_Calins/pseuds/Lapin_Calins
Summary: The Dream members are keeping Jaemin company at the dorm, but Jeno is getting restless. With his best friend unable to prank the others, even when Renjun is being particularly irritating, who will be his accomplice?





	When The Cat's Away

**Author's Note:**

> I'm sorry, I lied, this isn't a sick fic, but I'm working on it, so have this while I work on the other and as an apology for lack of updates lately.

The Dream members were lonely. Mark and Donghyuck were busy with the rest of NCT, Kun and Hansol were god knows where, and Ten had been out shooting for his MV, leaving them to wait for someone to entertain them while they were imprisoned in the dorm. Jaemin was lying on the couch, resting on pillows so as not to further hurt his back, Jeno relaxing beside him, with the TV volume on low because the younger was beginning to drift off to sleep. Shifting from where he sat, Jeno sighed as he glanced at his friend. Reaching out to poke the tip of his nose softly, he whispered:

 

“Nana?”

 

No response came, only steady breathing, causing Jeno to frown. With the other asleep, what was he to do now? He didn't want to be any more bored than he already was.  
“Thanks alot,” He grumbled, not really meaning it, knowing the younger was probably exhausted from his injury. He knew he had no right to be upset at him, so he patted his arm lightly before sliding off the couch to search the dorm for something fun to do. Jaemin always thought up the most fun pranks and games, and now that he was asleep, there was nothing to do. They usually teased the other members together, Jaemin always having the best ideas, but now who was going to be his partner in crime? 

 

As he padded down the hall to the kitchen for a snack, he wondered who could be his temporary number two. Jaemin was asleep, Jisung was too sweet, and Renjun was in charge and would tattle on him. As he retrieved some fruit snacks from the pantry, he pondered who could help him. Donghyuck was a great prankster, but he and Mark were away with the hyungs, so who? Just as he was about to tear open the packet of synthetic fruit, two things happened simultaneously: the person he didn’t want to see appeared, and he found both his next target and thought of his temporary partner in crime. Renjun was standing in the doorway, arms crossed as he watched him evenly. 

 

“You’re not allowed to have those.”

“Says who? What do you have against fruit snacks?”

 

Pointing to the clock that read 5:17 p.m., Renjun’s tone became stern, or at least he attempted to make it sound that way. 

“The hyungs will be home at 6, we're supposed to wait until then to eat.”

 

“Do you want me to starve?” Jeno tossed dramatically over his shoulder as he threw the package back into the container before he stopped himself. Even if he would have loved to argue and pester the oldest right now, he needed to be on his good side for his plan to work, which would be sweeter than fruit snacks. Gently closing the pantry door, he turned to his hyung and said sweetly,

 

“Sure hyung, I’m gonna take a nap before we eat, so could you watch Nana for me?”

 

Renjun was confused by the sudden respect and obedience from the younger, but if he was going to take a nap, that meant one less troublemaker out of his hair. Nodding wearily, he waited for Jeno to exit the kitchen first so he knew that the boy wouldn’t try to steal anymore snacks. Once he saw the younger disappear up the stairs and heard the door click shut, he relaxed and settled onto the couch next to Jaemin. He had to admit felt a little uneasy, but ignored those feelings in favor of focusing on finding something good to watch, what Jeno had on was trash in his opinion.

 

Jeno grinned and waited a minute before creeping out of his room, in search of his new number two: Chenle. He was just mischievous enough, and while he was a little too rambunctious, he was the best he had at the moment. Now the only trouble was finding him. If he was downstairs, the plan was blown because Renjun would see he wasn't in bed and not let him out of his sight. As he tiptoed down the hallway, a high pitched scream, or what Chenle called laughter, pierced the silence from the room two doors down. Shaking his head, he hoped Chenle would have the sense not to act like that when he was enlisted into Jeno’s elite pranking team. Not bothering to be quiet because of the ruckus coming from behind the door, he stepped in front of it and prepared himself for the monsters inside. He knocked quietly and all noise from the room ceased as Jeno heard Jisung whisper worriedly,  
“Hide it! Quick, before hyung sees!”

 

Intrigued By the statement, Jeno nudged open the door to reveal the maknaes shoving something under the bed. Jisung looked stricken at the sight of him before relaxing slightly when he saw who it was. Whirling around and falling to his knees, Chenle clasped his hands together and squeezed him eyes shut as he begged, 

 

“Please Renjun hyung! Do be, I mean, don't be mad, I know you say not..uhm.. told us not to, but-”

 

The boy was stumbling over his pronunciation as he vigorously tried to defend himself, mind too full of worry to translate correctly. He paused, then cracked open an eye to see why Renjun hadn't begun to scold him yet, when he saw who it was. Looking up in confusion, Chenle was only able to mumble, dumbfounded:

 

“Jeno-hyung?”

 

Shaking his head at the boy, he looked past the pair to the bunched up blanket the was half shoved under Jisung’s bed, concealing whatever it was they had been trying to hide. 

 

“What have you got under there?”

 

The two maknaes exchanged looks before eyeing him skeptically.

 

“Can we trust you?”

 

Jeno nodded, though his fingers were crossed behind his back. No one moved until Chenle swept aside the blanket, deciding to trust him since he wasn't Donghyuck, a notorious tattle-tale. There was a small box under the bed, it looked like old shoebox and it intrigued Jeno. Lifting the lid, Chenle revealed its contents. Much like their segment in the Chewing Gum MV, the box was filled to the brim with candy. Jeno’s eyes widened and licked his lips as his eyes roamed over the many brands and flavors that practically burst from the box. Only now did he notice the chocolate smudged all over Chenle’s cheeks and all the wrappers by Jisung’s bed. Interrupting his sugary fantasy, the Chinese boy leapt forward and latched onto his arm, looking up at him with desperate eyes.

 

“You can’t tell Renjun-hyung, Donghyuck-hyung, or Mark-hyung! They’ll tell on us and Donghyuck-hyung will eat everything!”

 

Enticed by the sweet reward for keeping his silence, he nodded and as he reached for a sweet, but he stopped himself, a sudden thought nagging at his mind.

"Where did you get all of this?”

 

Jisung brightened at the question, smiling at him widely as he plucked another treat from the box. 

 

“When our moms came to visit last week, they snuck us some candy, and we combined our stash.” Popping the candy in his mouth and tossing the wrapper onto the floor with the others, Jisung offering him the box. The three sat there for a few minutes, the only sounds filling the room being the chews and hums they elicited while eating the forbidden treats. Jeno enjoyed being able to stuff his face with candy, the hyungs rarely let them splurge on what they ate, so this was a nice surprise. Licking the last of the caramel from his fingers, Jeno turned to face the maknaes, ready to get down to business.

 

“So,” he began pleasantly, eyeing the sticky kids in front of him. 

 

“Do you want to help me with something?”

 

Jisung nodded, smiling brightly at the opportunity to spend time with his hyung. Chenle offered a muffled “Sure!”around the candy bar in his mouth, shuffling around while trying to find a napkin or tissue to clean up the mess. Now that he had gained their alliance, there was no going back. Scooting towards them so they made a circle, he began to lay out his plan for them in hushed whispers. 

 

“You want us to do WHAT?” Jisung asked incredulously, shocked at what his hyung had in mind. Rolling his eyes at the younger, Jeno was disappointed that Jisung was so disapproving of his plan, it wasn't as mischievous as some of the things Jaemin could come up with. 

 

“Oh come on Jisung-ah, don't be such a baby.”

 

Jisung recoiled, hurt from being called names, but was still uneasy about joining in on the trick. Crossing his arms and shaking his head, Jisung scooted out of the circle, no longer wanting to be a part of this awful scheme.

 

“No.”

 

Seeing how Jisung had no interest and didn't like his plan, Jeno turned to Chenle, continuing his explanation to the other who was still intrigued. Chenle was bouncing excitedly from where he sat on the floor, the sugar from earlier seeming to be already taking effect on him. He watched his hyung with wide eyes he explained their mission. They were to grab at many pillows and blankets as they could, sneak to the railing that ran along the hallway overlooking the media room, pelt Renjun mercilessly with their aerial linen attack, possibly acquire some fruit snacks while their target was distracted, then barricade themselves in the maknae’s room with the treats until the hyungs came home, hopefully thinking they had been perfect angels while they were away. It was genius, perfect, and it would work. Chenle seemed to think so too, excitedly bobbing his head while Jeno explained the plan. 

 

Now that his new number two was on board and informed, it was time to execute their mission. Patting the younger on the back, Jeno and Chenle rose, grabbing blankets, pillows, and stuffed animals, beginning to haul them down the hall to the railing, being as quiet as possible. The silence was difficult for Chenle, who ran from the room and back, barely containing his excited yells. Jeno was proud that he managed to stay quiet, glad to see his plan was being put into action, when he felt someone step on the blanket he was hauling behind him. Looking over his shoulder to see Jisung standing on the corner of his blue starry duvet, a pout fixed on his face. 

 

“What about me? What am I supposed to do now?” He whined, unhappy about being excluded, even though it was something he didn't want to be a part of.

 

“You said you were out, so you're out!” Jeno hissed, yanking the fabric out from under Jisung’s foot to add his cargo to their stockpile. Disappearing back into the bedroom to sulk amidst his candy, Jisung left them, and the fun began. Settling onto the floor next to his ally, Jeno grabbed a throw pillow and handed it to Chenle, picking up one with Moomin on it for himself. They laid on their bellies so as not to be seen from below by their hyung, ready to strike. Discussing the plan in hushed voices once more, Jeno explained and showed how they would scoot back from the railing as soon as the pillows were thrown to succeed and not be seen. Throughout all of this, Chenle continued to bounce excitedly, the sugar beginning to run through his veins. 

 

Peeking over the edge together, they saw their victim far below, seated comfortably on the couch. The only problem was that Jaemin was still asleep, and in the middle of their war zone. If he got hit, it could further his injury, and they couldn't have that. Frowning, Jeno reached out to stop Chenle’s rising pillow, read to fire. Pointing to the members below, he whispered in a deadly serious tone, 

 

“If you hit Nana, I will kill you and dance on your grave.”

 

The youngers eye's widened at the word “kill”, but became confused when he heard the word “dance” used in the same sentence. He sat there for a moment, trying to see if he had translated it correctly in his head, fingers picking at a stray thread on the pillow in his hands. Sighing and shaking his head, Jeno grabbed the boy's chin and turned it to face him.

 

“Just. Don't. Hit. Nana.” He enunciated each word carefully, making sure his point came across. Understanding completely, Chenle nodded solemnly, before turning back to face the railing, an evil grin growing on his face. 

 

Renjun was seated comfortably on the couch, watching a cartoon he had found playing on some channel. Jaemin was laying next to him on the left side of the couch, deeply asleep and content. Glad to see that he was getting some rest, Renjun smiled and stretched. A little after Jeno had gone upstairs to take a nap, the maknaes had grown quiet too, and he assumed they had tired themselves out from all their shouting. Looking back to the colorful characters on the screen, he relaxed further, almost letting his eyes slip shut…

 

THWAP!

 

Yelping and jumping about a foot off the couch, he turned wild eyed to see Moomin's face staring back at him from his right. Placing a hand on his chest to calm his racing heart beat, he inspected the pillow that had landed on the couch next to him. Furrowing his eyebrows, he wondered just how the heck it could have gotten there. Looking up to see if it could have been perched on the railing above and fallen off, he figured perhaps it had and tried to relax again, still glancing around suspiciously. Just as he had calmed down once more and turned his attention back to the television, he muffled a shout as another throw pillow fell from the sky, this time landing on his lap. Staring down in confusion and rubbing the light sting from his thighs, he realized the pain couldn't have been caused by a pillow simply falling. It had to have been thrown.

 

Head whipping up, he looked up just in time to see a flash of green hair pulling away from the bars of the railing in the hallway that overlooked the media room, and his eyes narrowed. Hands balling into fists, he rose from where he had sat on the couch, glaring up at the supposedly empty hallway where soft snickers were issuing from. 

 

“LEE JENO!” He hollered at the top of his lungs, growing increasingly more irritated when heard the laughter grow louder. Said boy crept forward and peeked over the the edge to look at him, eyes smiling and a hand muffling his giggles. 

 

“Yes, hyung?” He asked innocently, as if he hadn't been flinging pillows at him the minute before.

 

“Quit it right now, or I swear I'll-” 

 

WHAP!

 

He never finished his sentence, a pillow had sailed over the railing and struck him dead in the face, muffling his words and causing him to stumble back a few steps. Jeno turned, shocked to see Chenle screeching hysterically, noticing the pillow that had once been prepped in his hands was currently smothering Renjun. When the eldest had managed to remove the pillow from his face and regain his footing, his face turned as red as his hair and he howled,

 

“ZHONG CHENLE!”

 

All of the commotion and shouting had shaken Jaemin awake, and he blinked a few times before regarding the scene before him. Renjun, hair sticking up at all angles and crimson faced, shouting up at Jeno and Chenle who laughed, clutching bolsters that lay next to a mountain of linens. Seeing all the pillows littering the floor, he became aware of the situation and smiled. While he hadn't started the prank, he could still be a part of it.

 

Renjun was startled from the furious lecture he was spitting out in rapid Chinese when he felt another pillow strike his left arm. Whirling around to face the assailant, he saw that It was Jaemin who had weakly whipped one of the cushions he had been resting on at him, grinning slyly. Renjun was exasperated; he couldn't hit Jaemin back for fear of hurting him, and before he could get a word out, Jeno had hurled the bolster at him and at that moment he had had enough. Growling, he grabbed the same bolster and threw it back, clipping Jenos shoulder. War had begun. 

 

The next few minutes were filled with frenzied shouting as Chenle and Jeno stormed the media room, flinging pillows left and right, Jeno becoming temporarily blindfolded as Renjun threw a blanket over him. They ran round and round, stealing as many pillows as possible to keep their ammo well stocked. While the fight continued, Jaemin cheering on both sides, Jisung wandered out of his room, leaving his precious candy in favor of finding out what all the commotion was about.

 

“What's going on? What are you guys-”

 

THWAP!

 

The media room grew quiet when they saw Jisung standing at the top of the stairs, rubbing a pink mark that had appeared on his cheek, holding the pillow Chenle had flung at his face mistakenly. They all waited with baited breath to see what would happen, if Jisung would start crying and put an end to their fun, as he so often did, or what he would do next. To everyone's surprise, the maknae’s expression darkened as he let out a furious yell and chucked the pillow straight at Chenle, smacking him in the face and causing him to fall back onto the couch. The second youngest appeared from underneath the pillow, laughing, but with a malicious glint in his eye as he took cover behind the couch, hurling more pillows up the stairs. 

 

The game began once more, everyone dashing around, hopping on furniture and taking cover either under the coffee table or behind large cushions that had been pulled from the couch. Sugar coursed through three of the perpetrators, raising the excitement and giving lasting energy. Jisung occasionally switched teams, sometimes helping Renjun when the odds seemed stacked against him, sometimes showering him with stuffed animals from his vantage point on the stairs. The fight had lost its malice, competition and fun being it's only motivator, causing it to continue for quite awhile, and at quite a high volume. Such a high volume, that they didn't hear the keys jingling outside, the footsteps that echoed down the hall towards them, or Mark and Donghyuck's gasps at the scene that continued to play out before them when they entered.

 

The room was wrecked, nothing broken, but very, very messy. Shaking his head, Mark wondered whether or not to intervene, if it was his duty as leader of NCT Dream or not. Mark eas still contemplating his decision when the pair heard Taeyong approaching, asking just what all the fuss was about, Donghyuck made sure to make himself scarce, he was a notorious troublemaker, and this plot seemed just like one of his. He scampered up the stairs just before Taeyong appeared in the doorway, eyes widening at the state of the room and the younger members antics.

 

“Just WHAT is going on here?” The leader shouted, his deep voice booming around the room, causing all the Dream members to freeze in their tracks. No one said anything, the troublemakers realizing just how much of a mess they'd made, and were unsure of how to explain themselves to their hyung. Just as Renjun opened his mouth to try and weakly defend their actions, he was interrupted by Donghyuck's voice drifting down from upstairs. 

 

“Hey Mark! Come look what I found!” He called to the elder, a faint crinkling sound of what sounded like a candy bar wrapper accompanying his command. Eyes widening, Chenle and Jisung realized that they hadn't stashed the box of goodies under their beds, rather they had left it lying in the middle of the floor, exposed for any thieving hyung to prey on. They stared horrified at one another for a moment before Chenle wailed, 

 

“Noooooo, hyung, stop!” and dashed up the stairs, the rest of the Dream members except Mark following, seeing an opportunity to escape their hyungs’ wrath. Sighing, Taeyong rubbed his face with his hand tiredly while Mark patted his shoulder comfortingly. The same commotion began again upstairs, mainly between Donghyuck and Chenle over something that Taeyong didn't know, and he approached the stairs, intent on making the miscreants clean up their mess. Mark laughed, Taeyong looked like a tired old man as he climbed the steps.

 

“You'll have grey hair by the time we grow up, hyung!” he called and received a glare in return. Still smiling, Mark plopped down onto the cushion less couch. He could hear the maknaes pleading for mercy above as Taeyong confiscated their candy supply, and he chuckled. At least he wasn't the cause of mischief this time, but he was sure he'd get mixed up in some in the near future. He figured the old saying was true as he listened to the humorous commotion above, when the cat was away, the mice really did come out to play, or in their case, pillow fight.


End file.
